Jordan: Information on the right of abode of a Palestinian from the West Bank who holds a Jordanian passport which is valid for five years

According to a representative of the Jordanian embassy in Washington, if the Israeli military administration controlling the Occupied Territories (Gaza Strip, West Bank and Golan Heights) denies a West Bank Palestinian the right of abode, the Jordanian Department of the Interior will give that person a yellow card and a Jordanian passport which is valid for five years (ibid.). West Bank Palestinians with a yellow card issued by the Jordanian Department of the Interior and a five-year Jordanian passport have the right to establish permanent residence in Jordan and have Jordanian nationality (14 oct. 1993). Palestinians with a yellow card and a five-year Jordanian passport may only travel to the West Bank as visitors (ibid.). When the right of abode in the West Bank is granted by the Israeli military administration, a Palestinian receives a green card and a temporary passport which is valid for two years; both are issued by the Jordanian Department of the Interior (ibid.). The green card and the temporary passport grants the right of abode in Jordan for a period of two months (ibid.). This two-month right of abode in Jordan may be renewed for two months at a time (ibid.). Therefore, it is the type of authorization (the granting or denial of the right of abode), noted on a card issued to a person by the Israeli military administration which determines the type of card that is issued in Amman by the Jordanian Department of the Interior (ibid.).

Once a person is granted or denied the right of abode in the West Bank by the Israeli authorities, the person usually crosses the Jordan River at the King Hussein Bridge, shows identification to the Jordanian border guards and continues on to Amman (ibid.). The card system has been in effect since July 1, 1988 (ibid.). A person with a green card and a five-year Jordanian passport receives a temporary two-year passport upon renewal of the passport (ibid.). The representative says that the system may change, depending on the outcome of the peace talks between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Israeli government (ibid.).

According to a Jordanian lawyer in Amman, Palestinians who are authorized by the Israeli military administration to reside in the West Bank and who have a five-year Jordanian passport, may not take up permanent residence in Jordan (13 oct. 1993). The lawyer added that such Palestinians may request a temporary residence permit, which is usually valid for one month (ibid.). Palestinians who have a five-year passport and who were living in Jordan before 1988 have the right of abode in Jordan and have Jordan nationality (ibid.). If a Palestinian obtained a five-year passport before 1988 and has the right of abode in the West Bank, which means that the person has an identity card from the Israeli military authorities, it is highly likely that the person will be given a Jordanian passport which is valid for only two years (the equivalent of a travel document) upon renewal of the passport (ibid.). The lawyer said that, since 1988, two types of Palestinians have not been able to become Jordanian: (1) those with the right of abode in the West Bank, that is, those who have an identity card from the Israeli military authorities; and (2) all leaders, including the diaspora, of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (ibid.).

The DIRB has prepared this response using documents which are available to the public and which were accessible to the DIRB during the prescribed time frame. The response does not constitute an exhaustive review of the country in question or provide conclusive evidence as to the basis of a request for asylum or refugee status.

References

Embassy of the Kingdom of Jordan, Washington. 14 October 1993. Telephone interview with a representative.

Jordanian lawyer, Amman. 13 October 1993. Telephone interview.